Running Blindly
by xDarkShadowLoverx
Summary: The White House events are over. Aden is bitter, and Aura is helplessly in love. Is it better to tell him and risk him going into depression further, or should they run blindly all the way? Aden/Aura, Alexander/OC


Pairing: Aura & Aden

**Running Blindly**

It was exhilarating, actually. Running from a bunch of goons who had no sense of humanity across the country. Every waking moment was spent worrying about whether or not we had the ability to kick President Fisher's butt to the sun.

Well, if you combined my abundant knowledge about everything, Aden's uncanny ability to exhibit luckiness whenever he wanted to, Alexander's eloquence, persuasive and manipulating yet kind personality, Hunter's loyalty and organization skills, and Travis'...craziness, for lack of better word...we made a perfect team.

Not to say I didn't miss Hayley. Or my elder sister. Or my little brother. But still...I couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement as we drove across the states. I wanted _this_ to last. I finally had something to do, something to worry about. Before, it had been get up, go to school, come back, do homework, and sleep. Oh, and I'd do some eating in between. But that was about it. I loved challenges, and faced them head on. I wasn't a coward. I could kill without hesitation, and had huge (but logical) ideas, which I later found out were always downgraded by Claire.

But...along the way, I found something more exciting. Observing Aden Ilmari. Sure, he was a top-class idiot, right behind Travis, but there was something about his copper eyes that intrigued me. I hadn't known him too well before this, but now... I wanted to know more. The way his eyes would turn slightly bronze when angry, and how his jaw was set when he was determined. I convinced myself that I was just curious about the way he worked. Most people I found were predictable, but this boy...man... was so _different_. Regardless of his idiotic sarcasm, I admired his determination to save a sister he'd rather not have. It just didn't make sense and I wanted to know how he was so contradictory.

When he was in the White House, rescuing as many people as he could, I was sitting in a jeep with my ePad, just hoping he'd make it out alive. Or I would lose my pastime of staring at him and trying to figure him out. And then it was when it hit me.

I _liked_ him.

When I got Kenneth's helicopter and saved Aden and everyone, I couldn't help but cry for him as he almost broke down. Travis and Hunter then gave him the ultimate surprise; his sister. And while Aden hugged his sister to the point of almost crushing her, I couldn't help but think: _why not me? Didn't I help save her? Don't I__ deserve to be praised and loved__?_

I wanted someone to be able to look and care for me as much as Aden did for Chloe. After arriving back at Alford's place, I almost cried for him, wishing he would know and figure out how much I _cared_. Alas, someone did find out, but it wasn't him. It was my elder sister. She then told Chloe, who I couldn't help but like despite my animosity and jealously.

Claire found out through eavesdropping. A complicated one she was, but too predictable. Immediately, she pounced on me and told me that my looks couldn't even pass off as being feminine and I would never catch Aden's eye, so she broke my glasses, and gave me a whole makeover. Leaving me with large eyes surrounded with dark eyeliner, bright pink lips, and a skimpy outfit. I never stopped glaring at her every time I walked by after that.

Chloe suggested that I talk to Aden, get to know him better. I took the advice gratefully and for the first time, I listened to someone else instead of bossing others around. I observed the way Aden went about his daily life. When I heard from Kenneth that he wasn't being his usual self, my heart went out to him. He was depressed, and hurt, that he couldn't save everyone else. He was noble in his own odd way.

* * *

><p>"Aden?" I said softly, creaking the door open to his rooms. The blinds were up so the sun's light blinded me for a moment before spotting the said person on his bed with his arm over his eyes casually. He let out a gruff "yeah?" before turning onto his side, his eyes still shut. I crossed my arms and tapped my foot (in heels, no less) and scowled. "What are you? Suicidal? You haven't eaten with us in almost two weeks, and you never leave this room."<p>

"So?" He sighed, and again, I was drawn to his lips, which were mesmerizing. His words snapped me out of it. "You sound like Claire."

"And?"

"And you should leave."

I snorted. "And you should improve your attitude. Like Alexander, he's always so polite and kind." My eyes observed the room and found Hunter's side of the room clean and spotless, and the rest of the guys' place trashed with clothes and pizza boxes. I inwardly rolled my eyes as I waited for a response from the sarcastic kid that found his place in my thoughts way too often.

"Yes yes, everyone loves Alexander. Can you go now?"

Outwardly, I got a look of pity. Without invite I walked over to him from my place against the door frame and sat down on the floor, crossing my legs. "Why?"

He groaned again, putting his hand in his pocket, like he really didn't want me here. Too bad. "You're almost as nosey as Alexander."

"Good. Because I intend to be, whether it's to your liking or not."

I saw a small smile curve onto his lip. The light from the sun cast a reflection on his face, making me take notice of his long girl-like eyelashes. "It's almost weird how you and Blake talk in the same way."

My heart almost skipped a beat. He notices these kinds of things? But I wasn't the one to get all worked up over petty words. "Why?" I asked again, this time my voice nearing a whisper, like it was a secret.

Aden shifted again, his eyes still closed. "Why what?" His voice was almost an octave lower than usual, causing me to blink in confusion. I didn't comment on it though.

"Why are you so-"

"If you say depressed, I swear I'll throw you out the window, even if you're a girl."

See Claire? Aden did see me as a girl. There's no need to smother me in makeup and make me wear the smallest shirt I have ever seen and straighten my hair until it almost burnt. I hated her so much that I almost wished that Aden hadn't saved her. But I wouldn't dare voice this out loud.

"You do realize that even if you do that, it won't hurt me as much as intended?" I questioned inquisitively, almost smiling at the thought of Aden trying to shove me out the window.

I heard a soft snort from him. "Black belt karate master, genius with an IQ above 170, this place has one floor, got it. No throwing people out the window." He stated, releasing another sigh.

We were silent for a few moments, before I gathered up my courage to say "You always think before you act." I watched intently as Aden's face morphed into one of a scowl.

"How exactly do I do that?" He exclaimed, and he almost fell off the bed. I didn't say anything, but my eyes widened considerably as anger immediately ignited in him, sending sparks everywhere. "I just did whatever I could to save my classmates, but of course you don't know that, all you care about is outsmarting everyone!"

My nostrils flared with anger, but I stopped myself from crying out. This was what I meant; he was just so_ unpredictable_. Like a bomb that could go off any moment.

Forcing myself to calm down as I heard Aden turn away from me, gritting his teeth. "It's kind of hard to talk with someone who can never give you a straight answer." I said finally, hoping he got what I meant.

"I just gave you one. Isn't that enough? Get out!"

Tears stung at my eyes, and it vaguely surprised me. I usually could deal with stuff like this, having been suffering through bullying and teasing frequently in the past. But hearing it from him – it broke me. Being unwanted.

I decided it would be wise to just leave, like he said. He didn't want to talk to me anyway. Before I uncrossed my legs from my position, I stared at the floor, swallowing the lump in my throat. "It's not like I purposely do that." I said in an apologetic voice, trying to reign in my rather soft emotional state. "You're right. I've only been caring about myself...At the white house, I swear if I didn't have to overlook the whole mission, I would've, not only because of combat, stayed with you by your side the entire time-" My eyes widened and I cursed my big mouth. How could this person make me feel so uneasy without even trying? Make me lose my mind?

Aden's eyes flew open and I immediately felt someone burning holes into my head. I looked up from the wall of hair I had created between me and him and stared into his alluring eyes. They were slowly fading from bronze to copper, and the emotion changed from anger and hate to amazement, confusion with a hint of amusement.

Without knowing it, I let out a sigh of relief. His eyes glazed over slightly as they swept up and down, taking my disheveled and rather girly look. All previous argument was forgotten.

I stared into his eyes, never leaving them, and I felt like I could be lost in them forever. My brain stopped working immediately, and I coughed, breaking eye contact and returning to staring at the floor.

From the corner of my eye, I saw him smirk and raise an eyebrow from his position on the bed. "Claire?"

I nodded. "Yeah." I tore my gaze away from the floor and mustered up courage to look at Aden in the eye again – I wasn't a coward.

A long time must've passed before Aden reached up and ruffled his hair, to distract him. "What?" He asked disdainfully, and I almost forgot why I was here.

"Your eyes." I blurted out randomly. Moments later, I chastised myself for acting so unbelievably stupid and idiotic and-

"What?"

"Err..." I wanted to sink into the floor and disappear. My cheeks were probably the same color as my lips, and I hated how they colored easily because of my pale skin. "Your eyes. I noticed they turn bronze when you're angry."

He blinked, his expression unreadable. "Okay, then. I never noticed."

At this, I grinned slightly. "Of course not. You don't happen to stare at yourself in the mirror for hours on end like a certain Travis Stephenson."

This pried a laugh, or as close to a laugh an Ilmari can achieve, out of him. I smiled, and didn't feel so embarrassed anymore.

Moments to soon, he stopped with his howling, and fell onto his back. "Here's one for you. Your cheeks match your hair color when you're embarrassed or angry."

"Hey!" Forgetting the previous tense atmosphere, I welcomed the newfound friendly one with open hands. "You get an annoying crease between your eyebrows when you're thinking – which is frightening since I didn't know you were capable of thinking." It was a low blow, but after the last confession, I think he'd treat it as a joke. But I wasn't too sure. After all, he was unpredictable.

I couldn't tell, but I think he almost _smiled_. I was sure that if I had said this to him a month ago, he'd retort back with cheesy sarcasm. But this – this was something I'd never seen.

"Your hair frizzes up when you're overwhelmed." He stated with his usual cold, stoic tone but I could sense a hint of bubbling laughter. Putting his hands under his head, he turned his eyes slightly towards me, waiting for my turn.

"You hate sweets; every time you get anywhere near a dessert, you almost gag." I knew this when I had bought stuff from the grocery store on the run and tried to give him a slice of cake. He had bluntly refused, and I vaguely remembered Travis laughing about how Aden was the first person he had met who had hated chocolate.

"You're fairly disorganized and messy for someone who's supposed to resemble a genius."

Again, I didn't take the insult to heart and rested my cheek on my hand, which in turn was on my knee. "You're the luckiest person I know. I don't know what'd I do if luck wasn't on our side all that time."

"And you," Aden started, looking at the ceiling again. His voice lowered a few octaves as I felt a combination of relief and anxiety radiate off him. "are the prettiest person I know. I don't know what'd I do if I...hadn't met you."

I was about to laugh, ready to make another comeback, when I stopped short. My face flamed up again, even before I was about to take in all he said. And when I did, my jaw fell to the floor. Metaphorically, of course.

My eyes flickered from the floor to Aden, who was still staring up at the ceiling. I couldn't get one single coherent word our when he turned to observe me. I bit my lip and stared by defiantly.

"Um..."

He had no hint of any previous comment showing on his face, but his clenched hand was a sign of distress. He acted calm, but tended to show otherwise. I mentally noted that.

His left hand reached out and took a few strands of my originally wavy hair and tugged on it, letting the wisps fall out of his hand gently. "Personally, your wavy hair is better."

My breath caught in my throat, and I almost – _almost_ – cried. I blinked back small tears in time to notice Aden's averted eyesight, and his eyes slowly turned darked by the second. An emotion I never saw in his eyes flashed for less then a millisecond and vanished. I realized he was beginning to become impatient – and angry – impeccably, and less than five seconds later, he said;

"Get out."

If it was anyone else but me, they would've felt downright confused and heart-broken. Complimenting, and then an insult? But I had observed him, learned to at least have an idea how he worked. He had slipped up, and to regain his composure, he usually acted angry.

This time, I didn't feel any anger, but rather, compassion. The emotion I saw in his eyes told me everything.

Being me, I smiled, something Aden didn't see, and ran out the room. I knew Aden mistook it as rejection and was probably berating himself for losing control. This was confirmed as I heard him curse and punch the wall repeatedly.

Minutes later, I came back in, and saw him with his knuckles against the wall.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" He screamed, turning around and facing me. His face wasn't red, but his eyes were almost black, and looked like he could rip the biggest man alive into shreads. When he saw me, he gritted his teeth and glared so hard that I winced as if it physically hurt.

I felt my hair and forced myself to stay composed. "My hair. It's back to wavy." I took a few, small, hesitant steps toward him and opened my eyes as much as I could after a shower. I was also back into my usual attire of a sweatshirt and jeans.

He blinked a couple times, fury fading from his face. How could someone go from depressed to angry to amused and back to angry within fifteen minutes?

Gritting his teeth once more, he pointed to the door. "Get out."

"I refuse." My voice was so strong and I began to glare at him, almost daring him to say anymore. It worked, and he shut his mouth instantly.

He put his face in his hands, having no idea what to do. I finally pushed him into a corner, and felt unbelievably guilty about it.

"Just...why?" His voice cracked, and he shifted his gaze and it landed on me. "Why do I always lose control when...you're around...?"

A smile lit up on my face and I walked over to him. He shifted under my hard glare but then my expression softened. He averted his eyes, trying to keep his jaw set, when I suddenly wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him. He immediately stiffened, not being able to believe what just happened.

Even I was surprised. I had never, in all my life, willingly embraced a guy, except my little brother. I became red again as I tightened my arms. Being a good half a foot shorter than Aden, I was on my toes.

"It's okay." I whispered. "We've been running without knowing of the consequences. But it's okay." I rest my head on his chest, and we stand there just like that. I close my ears as I listen intently to the low rhythmic beat of his heart, and each deep breath he takes.

"Running blindly, huh?" he said suddenly with a deep voice. He made no move to part with me, and I felt his arms encircle my waist, keeping me in place. My heart almost leapt out of my body, beating so loudly and quickly. "What next?"

"No idea." I wanted to stay like this forever. The smell of his cologne hit my nose, and inhaled it deeply. Yes, this was definitely my favorite smell. "But we just keep running."

I felt his hand dig into my hair and stroke it carefully, like I was made of glass. "Only if you don't leave."

That was as good as a confession it'll ever be. I smiled so wide like my lips were made of rubber, and reluctantly pulled away. I looked up at him, and found the same emotion I had seen flicker in his eyes minutes before. Love. Admiration.

But he wasn't ready to tell me, and I wasn't about to let him know. I simply raised an eyebrow and put my lips to his cheek. I pulled back slightly to see his reaction. His eyes were flat, and he had raised his eyebrows so high they disappeared under his hairline. I saw a hint of pink lining his olive skin and leaned in to kiss him on the lips, only millimeters away to the point I could feel his warm breath on my mouth, before smirking. He hesitated, wondering what was up.

"Too bad. I'm running away." I simply stated, untangling myself from him, and running out the door. I turned back in time just to see Aden pale and touch his lips.

He then kicked everything in sight. "Dammit."

* * *

><p>"Cough it up. Fifty bucks." Claire held out her hand greedily as Chloe and Aura's sister grumbled, pooling their money into her hands.<p>

"For someone who only cares about looks and gossip, you're fairly good at getting people together." Travis stated, eyes wide as tennis balls as he witnessed the exchange.

Chloe rolled her undamaged eye. "Just remember, it was my advice that she should listen for once and not take leadership."

Claire smirked. "Of course. But it was me who just knew – using my awesomeness – that they'd get together by the end of the day. You can't deny it."

Alexander laughed heartily. "Of course not."

The girl swiveled around to face and and said bluntly, "You need a girlfriend."

The blond-haired boy, who was still laughing, abruptly stopped. "What?"

"Don't worry. I think Allison is a good match." Claire raised an eyebrow knowingly as she mentioned one of the girls Aden had saved. Allison was from Australia, and had the brightest blue eyes anyone had seen. And she had more than a brain cell to spare, fortunately, like Aura said.

Alexander blushed and stammered. "H-How did you...?"

"Like I said, I'm awesome. And I can just tell. Anyway, why don't we give you a makeover to catch her eye?"

"NO!" He exclaimed, and turned around in an attempt to escape. Travis immediately caught the hem of his shirt and held him in place. Alexander, knowing it'd be futile to fight against the bulky boy, gave in to his horrendous fate.

Suddenly, the red-head appeared from outside, watching the exchange with curious bright green eyes. "What are you guys doing?"

Claire sighed. "Aura, why'd you have to go and ruin your makeover?"

"Um...well...it was getting uncomfortable." Aura said, racking her mind for a way to say she hated and absolutely despised it without being mean.

The brown-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You want to help me with Alexander? He's never going to get a girl with his stupid hair and ugly clothes."

Aura's sister shrugged. "It could've been worse. In my opinion, Travis' is worse."

"HEY! DON'T YOU DARE INSULT MY HAIR!" Shouted Travis, who then went to try and throttle the elder red-head. In the haste, Alexander thought it was the perfect time to escape but Aden came strolling in, with a flat expression.

"Really guys? A bet?" He said disdainfully, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Claire paled. She, apparently, knew how bad it could be when the copper-eyed boy got mad. He had temperamental issues, which everyone was now used to and tried to avoid. "Oh dear..."

Aura smirked. "'Oh dear' is right. Alexander, Travis, could you hold Claire down? I have a makeup set in my room and I'll go get it."

Claire shrieked as Travis and Alexander immediately obliged. "It wasn't my idea!" She protested. "Chloe and Rose (a/n - I made up a name for Aura's sister since her name isn't stated in the first book) bet too you know!"

Aden stood in the shadows as he watched his friends and the girl who now held his heart in his hands turn Claire into a top-class clown. It was amusing, but he knew things like this wouldn't happen often anymore. A war was happening, and they were in the midst of it. Happiness like this wouldn't last forever.

Oh well. He might as well enjoy the time he had.

* * *

><p>Aww I love this couple! Right after Aura &amp; Travis! Review please! :P<p> 


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